1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to monitoring of collection receptacles for receiving mail and articles to be transported to distant locations. More particularly, a novel monitoring system employs radio frequency communication between the collection receptacle and a passing motorized vehicle to enable the operator of the vehicle to whether to stop to empty the collection receptacle. This system would benefit the United States Postal System and large document shipping and delivery companies by eliminating necessity of stopping and manually ascertaining presence within each collection receptacle of articles to be transported or delivered.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Large document and package transporting and delivering organizations generally make available to the public unstaffed collection receptacles in locations convenient for customers. The delivery organization usually maintains a fleet of personnel for picking up and delivering articles. These personnel are usually charged with responsibility for removing articles deposited within such receptacles, and causing these articles to be routed to their ultimate destinations. Individual personnel pass a substantial number of collection receptacles, some of which may not have any articles deposited therein. Checking each receptacle can become tedious and time consuming. Therefore, a need for enabling fleet drivers to rapidly determine presence of articles to be retrieved exists.
The prior art has devised monitors for detecting presence of mail and similar articles placed in mailboxes. Such monitors transmit signals to remote annunciation panels, so that there is no necessity of manually checking mailboxes periodically to determine whether delivery has been made.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,794,377, issued to Alexander Benages on Dec. 27, 1988, and 5,239,305, issued to Colleen M. Murphy et al. on Aug. 24, 1993, describe automatic mailbox monitors employing radio frequency communication between the mailbox and a remotely located annunciator panel. Unlike the present invention, mere deposition of mail initiates radio signals from the mailbox. In the present invention, the remote component queries the receptacle. A return signal is generated if an object has been inserted into the receptacle. No return signal is generated if nothing has been placed in the receptacle.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,336,652, issued to Frank J. Otto on Apr. 13, 1920, describes a mail box monitoring system which annunciates mail deposited in a mail box. Annunciation signals are originated when mail inserted into the box displaces a feeler operating a switch closing a signalling circuit. This is a hard wired system, unlike the wireless remote signalling of the present invention. Also, there is no two way communication between two devices each having transmitting and receiving means.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,314,102, issued to Lynnwood Lowe et al. on Feb. 2, 1982, describes a system for monitoring a plurality of mail boxes ganged at one location. The system has a microprocessor for managing many signals, and communicates over a telephone system. Unlike the present invention, there is no radio frequency querying signal and radio frequency response generated when articles have been deposited in the receptacle.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.